After collecting back-to-back NASCAR Xfinity Series victories at Sonoma Raceway and Dover Motor Speedway, Connor Zilisch is picking up exactly where he left off, leading practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The JR Motorsports driver hit the racetrack in the final moments of Friday’s 50-minute practice session at the iconic 2.5-mile speedway in qualifying trim, jumping to the top of the speed charts by a significant margin.
Zilisch posted a quick time of 54.013 seconds (166.627mph) in his No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet, leading JR Motorsports teammate Carson Kvapil by nearly a half-second. Kvapil also set his fast time late in the session.
Sam Mayer went to third place on the speed charts in his No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford Mustang Dark Horse late in the session, while Justin Allgaier rocketed to fourth, and Kyle Larson rounded out the top five.
PRACTICE RESULTS: 2025 NXS Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis
Larson, who will run double-duty between the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Cup Series this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, was looking to be the quickest in the session in its closing minutes, when a rain shower approached the speedway.
However, the rain subsided, and the track was ruled to be all clear, and just about every driver got back onto the racetrack to try and get more experience around the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Taylor Gray ended up sixth-fastest in practice on Friday, but could only run eight laps after spinning around in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota GR Supra, causing slight damage to his Operation 300-sponsored machine.
Harrison Burton was seventh, with Ryan Sieg, Austin Hill, and Nick Sanchez rounding out the top-10.
Daniel Dye, who ranked 19th in the session in his No. 10 Champion Container Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing, also experienced early problems in practice when his entry spun around, causing some minor damage. Dye, a rookie, only got to turn five laps in the session.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will return to the racetrack on Saturday for qualifying at 1:00 pm ET on The CW App. The Pennzoil 250 will then take place later that afternoon at 4:30 pm ET on The CW, IMS Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
